
THE MESSENGER ﷺ SAID: “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly, even if they are few.” (Ahmad)
This teaches us two simple but powerful lessons: set goals you can sustain, and stay consistent.
One practical approach is the “unbroken chain.” Choose a small, achievable action, like reciting a single page of Qur’an each day, then mark it on a calendar. As the days pass, the marks form a continuous chain. Your mission is simple: don’t break it. The growing chain becomes its own motivation.
I’ve used this approach for years. When I set a goal to publish two blog articles a week, the early results felt slow and invisible. But seven years later, nearly 900 articles in, I can clearly see how steady effort compounds. Not every article is what I hoped for, but consistency gave me room to improve, experiment, and keep going.
That’s the power of the unbroken chain: it shifts the focus from the outcome to the process. Small steps, repeated regularly, lead to big results. Progress fuels practice, and practice deepens progress.
This applies to any goal; Qur’an, fitness, learning, etc. Start with something small and meaningful, then grow gradually. Protect your chain.
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا
And those who persevere for Us, We will surely guide them to Our ways. (Ankabut 69)
May Allah grant us consistency in the deeds that draw us closer to Him and make us more productive Muslims.
